Thermoluminescence from photoexcited polyethylene terephthalate

Thermoluminescence from polyethylene terephthalate (PET) has been investigated. A correlation was found between thermoluminescence (TL) and thermally stimulated current (TSC). The apparent activation energy was estimated at 0.23–0.50 eV for both TSC and TL from −170 to 0°C. This activation energy presumably indicates the trap depth, which is decreased by molecular motions, since both TSC and TL are quenched efficiently with visible light, but not with infrared light of energy of the magnitude of thermal activation energy. The spectrum of TL glow curves agrees with the photoluminescence spectrum at −185°C, which is composed of an excimer and a monomer fluorescence and also a structured phosphorescence at wavelengths longer than 400 nm.